On paper, Oklahoma State should easily defeat Missouri State in Stillwater Thursday night.

The Bears only won three games last season while OSU was in a position to win the Big 12 at one juncture of the season.

Wide receiver James Washington and quarterback Mason Rudolph are playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fifth-year senior Taylor Cornelius will start at quarterback and even though there might be a drop-off in production, the Cowboys seem to always come up with good quarterback play and great wideouts.

“Taylor (Cornelius) is doing really well,” said OSU coach Mike Gundy. “I’ve said it before – he’s doing great on the driving range, but he hasn’t been on the first tee. He’ll get on the tee Thursday night and we’ll find out where he’s at.

“Dru (Brown) has done really well behind him. Spencer (Sanders) has done well and (Keondre) Wudtee gotten a number of reps where he’s at. There’s not enough plays to go around for those guys, but we like where we’re at with them. With experience, you can see why Taylor is where he’s at.”

Even though this is the fifth season Cornelius has played for OSU, he may need time to adjust to the starting role.

“The thing you’ve got to realize is that we have to be patient with (Taylor Cornelius),” Gundy said. “He hasn’t played. Mason (Rudolph) was, arguably, the best quarterback to ever come through here – other than guys who played here before the 1990s. (Cornelius) could play really well, but still not quite play to that level.

“But let’s see where he’s at in a month. Now, what I have prepared myself for, while driving down the road and thinking, is that we were so used to James (Washington) running down the field and the ball coming down from the top of the stadium into his hands and he’d run it in for a touchdown. I’ve already gotten myself prepared because it would be hard to see that. We’ve got guys who can play, but he was just so good at it.

“That’s obvious, because he’s still doing it with the pros. That’s the thing I’m going to miss most – just how beautiful it was. It was like watching Usain Bolt run the 100-meter dash. You can’t get enough of it.”

Cornelius was friends with Rudolph. Both arrived in the same recruiting class.

“He always had my back, and knowing that he has your back is always a good deal,” Cornelius said. “He knew the ins and outs of the playbook and everything, so he was a big help. We text and Snapchat and stuff … nothing much about football, just more life.”

Cornelius has studied and practiced the system put in by OSU offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich for five years. He’s ready to start.

“I think it has gone smoothly,” Cornelius said. “I’ve been around here long enough that I feel like I’ve worked hard enough to get to this point, and I think it’s going to be a good year. I feel pretty confident throwing the ball, and those receivers get open enough so it makes my life a lot easier.

“I’m looking forward to putting points up on the board.”

Running back Justice Hill thinks OSU can be more successful than last year.

“It’s the same system; we just have different quarterbacks,” Hill said. “I feel like we got experience from last season, so we can be better than last season. It’s going to be fun just to be there and enjoying it.”

Hill has worked on his receiving skills.

“I just want to be able to help the team out whatever way I can,” Hill said. “If they think I can do it and I feel like I can do it, then we will try it out there. It’s actually kind of new because I never really received and in middle school you never really throw the ball, you just run. This is something new for me and it will be fun just to see how it goes. It just takes time, the more reps you get at it the more comfortable you feel.”

MSU coach Dave Steckel, who is starting his fourth season, was an assistant at The University of Missouri for 14 seasons, including 2013 and 2014 when the Tigers won back-to-back SEC East Division titles. Previously, he was a defensive line coach at Rutgers University.

Steckel’s record at MSU is 8-25. Missouri State went 3-9 last season with wins against Murray State, Indiana State and Southern Illinois.

“Right now, I have an F,” Steckel told the Springfield News-Leader. “That’s unacceptable in the world of sports. We have to do a better job at coaching A’s.”

Dual-threat quarterback Peyton Huslig started last season for the Bears and probably will against OSU Thursday night. Huslig lead the Missouri Valley Conference in rushing during league play last season.